Multifluid carburetor



Oct. 16, 1923. 1,470,659

' G. G. wEsTl-:RFIELD MULTI FLUID CARBURETOR Uct. 16, 1923. 1,470,659

G. WESTERFIELD MULTIFLUID GARBURETOR Filed April 19, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patente O/ct. y16, 1923.

STATES GRANVILLE G. WESTERFIELD, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

MULTIFLUID cARBUREToR.

Application led April 19, 1920. Serial No. 374,933.

To all 107mm it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GRANviLLE G. WEST- iinrlrzLD. a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Multifluid Carburetor, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention 'to provide a carburetor Which supplies either of two or more fuels or other liquids as conditions may demand, or a mixture of such fuels or liquids, and which changes the fuel supply from one to, another under the control of `the temperature of the associated engine; and which under predetermined conditions, usually higher engine temperatures, atomizes water in addition to fuel to produce the beneficial effects of water vapor in the explosive mixture. It is a further object of the invention to keep the explosive mixture at a substantially uniform temperature, preferably a temperature near that of the cooling water of the engine, to produce uniform rapid atomization of the fuel.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through a carburetor embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of such carburetor with some parts in section; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the preferred form of my invention illustrated, the carburetor comprises a horizontal conduit 10, with an air inlet opening at one end (the right-hand end) and a connection to a vertical conduit at the other end (the left-hand end), the upper end of the vertical conduit being suit-ably connected in any desired Way to the intake manifold of the associated engine. In the vertical conduit 12 there is a throttle 13, operated in any usual or convenient manner.

The lower wall of the horizontal conduit 10 is provided With three transverse depressions or hollow bosses 14, 15, and 16, around which are located liquid-containing bowls 17,18, and 19, for easily volatile fuel such as gasoline, for less easily volatile fuel such as kerosene, and for water, respectively. Each hollow boss 14, 15, and 16 has a hollow downwardly projecting stem 20, which communicates laterally with the bowl surrounding it, and communicates at the top through an opening 21t the bottom of the associated hollow boss with the inside of the conduit 10. Each hollow stem 20 also serves as a support for the surrounding bowl. In the three hollow stems 20 are controlling needles 22, 23, and 24 for the liquids in the respective bowls. The needle 23 for the kerosene has a screw-threaded mounting in a supporting arm 25 so that it may be manually adjusted to vary the size of the associated opening 21. This supporting arm 25 also serves as a pivotal support for al lever 26, which on opposite sides of its pivotal center acts on nuts 27 and 28 mounted on screw-threaded parts of the needles 22 and 24 respectively, so that such needles may be adjusted in such nuts to adjust the respective gasoline and water openings 21, and so that by the tiltingl of the lever 26 such two openings 21 may be oppositely controlled. Surrounding the needles 22 and 24 in the hollow stems 20 are compression springs 29 and 30 respectively, which springs tend to push the needle 22 downward or open and the need1e 24 upward or closed. The lever 26projects at one end below the vertical Astein 31 of a suitable thermostatic element, conveniently an expansible temperature-responsive capsule 32, the operation of which will be described hereinafter.

The upper wall of the conduit 1() at its left-hand end has a downwardly curved baffle 35 extending down into the hollow base 16, to direct the air current into such boss. This is a fixed bafile. Above the two hollow bosses 14 and l5 are vertically movable stems 36 and 37, on the lower ends of Which are cross pins 3S and 39 on which are mounted two double-plate baffles 40 and 41 respectively. Each of these bafiles has a spring-hinge ,mounting on its supporting cross pin, so that the two parts of the double-plate baffle tend to swing together as the baffle 40 is shown, and will do so when the corresponding rod 36 is lowered, but may be spread apart as the bafiie 41 is shown by the raising of the associated pin, as the stem' 37 is raised. In this connection the free ends of the baffle plates slide along the upper wall of the conduit 10, being provided with guide pins 42 which work in grooves in the upper parts of the side Walls of such conduit. When either pin 36 or 37 is down, the associated double-plate bafiie compels the air to pass down into the asso` ciated hollow boss 14 or 15, to pick up liquid from the bottom of such boss, as shown in full arrow lines for the boss 14; while when such pin is up andthe associated baille 1s spread apart the air passing through the conduit 10 does not descend into the asso-j cia-ted hollow boss, but passes straight on as shown by the straight arrow lines above the hollow bo. 15.

The two rods 36 and 37 are connected by a pivoted lever 43, an upwardly projecting arm 44 of which is connected by a link 45 to one arm vof a bell-crank 46, the other arm of which projects between two pins 47 on the stem 31. AsV the stem 31 rises or falls, one or theother of the pins 47 acts through the bell-crank andflink to tilt the lever 43 to reverse the position of the rods 36 and 37. This is preferably a snap action, for at least the latter part of the movement; and to this end I provide in the lever 43 a longitudinal slot 48 above the pivotal point thereof, in which slot works a pin 49 carried by a head 50 on atilting rod 51 spring-pressed upwardly bythe compression spring 52 surrounding such tilting rod, whereby when the lever 43 has passed its middle position the pin 49 will slide to the other end of the slot 48 and complete the movement of the lever 43 with a snap action.

In order to permit adjustment of the carburetor throat, each rod 36 and 37 is made vertically adjustable with respect to the lever 43. As shown, this is done by making such rod rotatable, by a knob or fixed nut on its upper end. and connecting the associated slotted end of the lever to trunnion pins on a nut 43 on a screw thread on said rod so that by the turning of the rod it is'raised or loweredwith respect to the lever.

The expansible capsule 32 is mounted in a water jacket 55 connected\ in the coolingwater system of the associated engine, such water jacket having a water inlet 56. Around the vertical conduit 12 is a water jacket 57, also connected in such cool-ing Water system, such jacket 57 having a water outlet opening 58leading to the water system. The two water jackets` 55 and 57 have a valved interconnection, by a balanced valve 59 mounted on the stem 31, and preferably also by a small supplemental unvalved bleed opening 60 for permitting a slow circulation through'the water-cooling system even when the valve 59 is closed. The capsule 32 is thus controlled by the temperature of the water of the cooling system of the engine, expanding and contracting as such temperature respectively rises and falls. This capsule controls the water circulation in such water-cooling system, the operation of the bales 40 and 41, and the operation of the needles 22 and 24.

The liquid supplies to the various bowls 17, 18, and 19 are controlled by floats 61, conveniently arranged as shown ""in Fig. 2.

Each float 61 is located in its respective bowl, and is mounted on a lever 62 mounted on an adjustable pivot in a passage 63 carrying a bal valve .64 controlling the connection between such passage 63 and a superposed passage 65 receiving its proper liquid from any suitable source. The outer end of the passage 63 is closed, as by a plug. The passage 65 of the water bowl conveniently receives its liquid supply from the water-cooling, system of the engine, thereby getting hot water, which is more easily vaporized. This may be as shown in Fig. 2, where such passage 65 is connected by a pipe 66 to the water jacket 55, a strainer 67 being mounted on the inlet end of the pipe 66 within such water jacket.

In operation, the parts are in substantially the position 'shown when vthe engine is cold. When the engine is started cold, therefore, the air entering the opening 11 is directed down into the hollow boss 14 by the lowered baliie 40 and icks up gasoline, or other easily vaporized uel, supplied into such hollow boss through the appropriate opening 21, the needle 22 being lowered. The air and the carried gasoline then pass over the hollow boss 15, without being deflected thereinto because the baffle 41 is raised; then pass vbeneath the fixed baffle 35, without picking up any water because the needle 24 is raised to close its opening 21; and then pass up the vertical conduit 12 past the throttle 13 to the intake manifold and the engine. The valve 59 is in closed position at this time, because the engine is cold, so that the circulation in the water-cooling system is' very slow and the-engine heats up quickly to proper running temperature. Some water circulation is permitted, how-- ever, through the opening 60; so that as the water in the jacket 55 gets hot by such circulation from the engine water ljacket the capsule 32 expands and opens the valve 59 to allow a faster and more free circulation durin the normal engine operation. As the capsu e 32 expands due to the engine -getting warm, the upper pin 47 on the stem 31 operates the bell-crank 46 to throw the lever 43 to raise the baille 40 and lower the baffle 41. This compels the air current to pass down into the hollow boss 15 and pick up kerosene therefrom, and causes the air to pick up less gasoline from the hollow boss 14. For awhile the air picks up both fuels, in. vary-ing relative amounts as the lever 43 is moved;-but after the lever 43 has passed its middle point it moves the rest of the Way with a-snap action, thus completely raising the baffle 40 and completely lowerin the battle 41, and then `only kerosene'is plcked up. The air passing through the conduit 10 now takes the path indicated in the dotted arrow lines.l In order to minimize the evaporation of the gasoline underl these conditions, the stem 31 about this time Strikes the lever 26 and pushes down its lefthand end, thus raising the needle 22 against the spring 29 to close the gasoline opening 2l into the conduit l0. Also the tilting of the lever 26 lowers the needle 24 against its spring 30, to open the Water opening 2l into the conduit l0; so that thereafter the air passing through such conduit will pick up water as Well as fuel, with the resultant advantages in engine operation. The air with its carried liquid or liquids passes up through the conduit l2, which is heated by the water jacket 57 as soon as the water therein has become suiciently hot by the water circulation, so that the explosive miX- ture supplied to the engine is at a substantially uniform temperature.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a carburetor, a Water-atomizin unit and two fuel-atomizing units for di erent fuels, and a thermostatic element oppositely controlling said fuel-atomizing units and also controlling said water-atomizing unit to put it into operation at higher temperature and cut it out of operation at lower temperature.

2. In a carburetor, a water-atomizin unit and two fuel-atomizing units for di erent `fuels, and a thermostatic element arranged upon increase of temperature to cut out one fuel-atomizing unit and cut in the other and upon further increase of temperature to cut in. vthe water-atomizing unit.

3. In a carburetor, the combination of an air conduit, two atomizing units arranged at different points along said air conduit, and baille` means for selectively directing air traveling along said conduit through said units to pick up fuel from either.

4. In a carburetor, the combination of an air conduit, two atomizing units arranged at different points along said air conduit, baille means for selectivelv directing air Atraveling along said conduit throu h said units to pick up fuel from either, anc a thermostat controlling said bale means.

5. In a carburetor, the combination of an air conduit having in its lower wall a plurality of depressions supplied with liquid to be atomized, movable Ybaiies for directing airl into said depressions to atomize liquid therein, and means for oppositely actuating two such movable bailies.

6. In a carburetor, the combination of an air conduit having in its lower wall a depression supplied with liquid to be atomized, a movable baille for directing air into said depression to atomize liquid therein, and a thermostatic element controlling sai-d movable baille.

7 In a carburetor, the combination of an lair conduit having a plurality of liquidatomizing units associated therewith, a water jacket for said conduit, said water jacket being arranged to receive water from the cooling system of an associated engine, and a thermostatic element controlling the circulation through said water jacket, and also selectively controlling said liquidatomizing units.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GRANVILLE G. WESTERFIELD. 

